


Rockie Climbing

by misspixiedust



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 1940s, Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hydra (Marvel), Immortality, Love Triangles, Male-Female Friendship, Marvel Universe, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Present Tense, Reader-Insert, Sassy Reader, The Avengers (2012) - Freeform, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, hold on to your seats, no autofilling, reader has a nickname, taking a few movies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:48:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27624304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misspixiedust/pseuds/misspixiedust
Summary: On the outside, you seem like a normal Chorus Girl looking for her big break. When you befriend and ultimately start working alongside Captain Steve Rogers at the height of WWII, you'll get more than your big break. Can your biggest secret that holds up the walls around you withstand the love you so desperately want to let into your life, and when you figure it out, will it be too late?
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, Steve Rogers/Reader
Kudos: 10





	Rockie Climbing

**Author's Note:**

> oh my goodness hello! thank you so much for deciding to take an interest in this little (long...) story that's been floating around in my quarantine noggin for a while, i hope you enjoy :) i have so many plans for this story, i know what i want but along the way, all i can say is expect the unexpected! 
> 
> -xoxo tink

1943:

“Next 52813!” 

You heard your number being called and you took a deep breath and walked into the audition room. You weren’t sure why you were nervous, you’ve auditioned hundreds of times for small dancing and singing parts. Sure this wasn’t exactly what you wanted to do, waste your talents on. You wanted to do real pictures, be a real Judy Garland, or be a Rockette like you had always wanted, not be some back up dancer for some USO Tour with a super soldier lab experiment. But, money was money, and god knows you needed the money. No, you didn't need the money, HE needed the money. You braved it up, formed your perfectly red lips in the most perfect smile, teeth included, and walked in that room.

“Yes that’s me!” You said, your voice raising a few octave showing just how polite you can be when you really needed something. 

“Ah yes welcome.” The brunette man, no more than 30 behind the wooden school desk said in a completely monotone voice. He said your name, confirming you were who you said you were on the papers. 

“Please, call me Rockie. It’s easier than my real name.” You tell him, wanting to be known by your nickname given to you by your brother. 

“Right, well Miss Rockie. It says here you’re a self taught dancer and singer? You learned from watching musical pictures?” The man asked, lighting a cigarette in the room and started blowing smoke, an obvious way of trying to distract you. 

You noticed his ploy right away, your observing skills coming in handy and you decided to walk over to the desk, sit on the edge and grab his cigarette from his fingers, bringing the bud to your lips. “Yeah that’s right. I can show you if you’d like. But I think you and I both know I’m a fit for this job, I’d look really good in Red, White and Blue. It goes with my hair.” You say, your voice dropping into a flirtatious manner, oozing the director into giving you what you want. You could see the man swallowing a lump in his throat, undoing his tie just a bit to give him room to breathe, and he looks over your papers as you continue to blow smoke from the horribly tasting cigarette. You keep the smile plastered on your face though, unwavering letting your eyes bat fast as you watch the director give your headshot the seal of approval. 

He looks up at you and smiles handing you your papers. “Miss Rockie, welcome to the Star Spangled Singers.” He says and you hop down grabbing your papers, smiling wide as you walk out of the audition room. 

***************************************************************  
“God these girls can’t do a high kick to save their life.” You think to yourself as you pin your naturally colored hair back into it’s usual style, getting yourself show ready. It was a usual night, a usual show to do. Captain Steve Rogers, or now officially known to the American public as Captain America has been headlining a show across the country in an effort to sell bonds to help with the war. Yeah right like that would help. Your Pa always said that it didn’t matter what was bought, war was war and no amount of money would change that. 

You take a deep breath as you put the red on your lips finishing off the perfect American look, and as you finish off there you go to the wardrobe area to grab your hat to pin in your hair. Walking in the room, you notice deep breaths coming from the corner, almost as if they’re trying to be hidden. Your curiosity is peaked, as it always is, and you walk over to where the sound is coming from, cautiously. When you move the curtain hiding a chair, you see your pale looking leading man, Captain Steve Rogers himself, sit straight up. 

“Oh, Captain Rogers I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” You say immediately stepping back letting him breath in his space. You never really talked to Captain Rogers, no more than a “hi” or a “break a leg, I wish I could break mine” that he would share with you before you walked on stage, but nothing substantial. Until now you weren’t even sure what color his hair was, but as you watched him in the chair, you could see the bright blonde in his hair and you smiled softly, realizing that he was indeed a real person. 

“That’s quite alright ma’am, just some pre-show jitters I suppose..” he says standing up immediately, feeling embarrassed by being caught in his usual stage fright. 

You chuckle lightly, walking over to the sink and turn on the cold faucet, letting it run as you look for something to use as a makeshift cup. “There’s nothing to be worried about Captain, you’re absolutely beloved, no matter what you do, you’ll do fine.” You encourage him as you dump makeup brushes out of one of your fellow chorus girl’s cup and you fill it up, walking over and handing it to Captain Rogers. “Drink up, the cold water will help you feel better as well as help your vocal chords. Sit down, you have time.” You tell him seriously as you look at the clock on the wall, noticing there’s still time before curtain. 

Captain Rogers sits back down in the chair he was just inhabiting, and you pull one up and sit across from him, making sure he drinks the water and is ultimately okay, knowing you’d feel mighty bad leaving him alone. He watches your every move closely and curiously, obviously not used to the company, or it seems, the help and he sips the water slowly, taking in every sip as it comes. “You’re too kind ma’am for doing this, nobody’s really been too helpful nor kind on this entire tour. You’re really the first person I’ve said more than 5 words too?” he asks you and you raise your right eyebrow.

“Oh yeah? Well kid, that’s show business for you. You will make hardly, if any friends. Trust me.” You say shaking your head, your curls bopping with the movement of your head and you lean back in the chair, crossing your left leg over your right. “These girls here, they’re all faking. The nice act, it’s all a show.” You explain and watch Captain Rogers and it was his turn to raise an eyebrow, but this time in a more curious manner. 

“Yeah? Are you one of those girls who’s faking nice? Especially to the leading man?” He asks, hoping his words come out in a teasing sentiment. 

As you hear that, you laugh a real genuine laugh and you shake your head and direct your eyes to the cup in his hands. “Captain Rogers, if I was faking nice I wouldn’t have gotten your clammy hands a cup of water. I would’ve simply left you or tried to flirt with you. Now have I done any of those things?” You ask him, your lips forming a smirk now, starting to feel more comfortable now than you had a few moments ago.

As Captain Rogers takes his final sips in the cup, he smiles a real soft smile, looking down into the cup and he shakes his head gently, his hair flopping with it. “No, I suppose you haven’t. And I appreciate you for doing so, for the water and for the….well.” he trails off, a blush forming on his cheeks, and you smirk taking the water cup from his hands again.  


“Captain Rogers are you trying to thank me for not flirting with you? Is it because you have a girl back home, or is it because you think I’m not a dame worth looking at?” You ask, completely messing with him now and he shoots his head up looking at you with wide eyes shaking his head profusely. 

“No no I didn’t mean it like that, I think you’re very beautiful, the most beautiful girl here, I’m just not used to it, really-“ he says, stumbling over his words, starting to get frustrated that’s how his words came to meaning and he keeps his eyes on you shaking his head and you reach over and grab his hands laughing softly.

“Captain, I’m completely pulling your sky blue leg here. I know you didn’t mean that, I’m playing with ya. Loosen up.” You smirk, gently nudging him and he lets out the breath he was holding, the relief setting in after that encounter. He sits back gently, running his fingers through his hair and he relaxes a bit, twiddling his fingers together. 

“I guess I’m not used to this kind of humor. The only person who would really mess around with me like that was Bucky…but ah never mind. But hey, you uh don’t have to call me Captain all the time. I’d actually prefer if you just called me Steve.” He tells you, holding his hand out to you and you reach over, shaking his hand looking at him. 

“Well Steve, I suppose it’s nice to officially meet you. I’m Rockie.” You introduce yourself, a genuine smile forming on your face as you shake Steve’s hand. 

He lets your hand go and stands up, adjusting his costume as he helps you to your feet. “Rockie, that’s a rather unusual name. Not in a bad way, I’ve just never heard it before.” He tells you as you adjust the hem of your dress, making sure it’s stage appropriate and you look down at your feet. 

“It’s a nickname…my younger brother Joseph gave it to me. I always said I wanted to be a Rockette, you know the dancer, and he would call me Rockie because he couldn’t say Rockette.” You explain and chuckle, thinking about the way your little brother would run around the house saying it. “So the name sort of stuck…” You say as you look up at Steve, realizing how tall he is next to you. 

As you both walk towards the stage, Steve listens to your story and he finds himself smiling softly, enjoying hearing your story, but mostly enjoying your company. Steve hadn’t been in much company since this started, his best friend overseas in Italy, and his only other friend from this whole ordeal, well god knows where she’s at. Steve knows he only just met you, but he can feel that somehow this friendship was meant to start, he just doesn’t know how to explain it.

As the two of you approach the stage, you step up in front of him and put on your stage smile, a fake, plastered on, money making smile, making sure you show all your teeth. “Well Captain, this is where I leave you. It was so nice talking to you, it was amazing having some genuine kindness around here.” You tell Steve as he puts his Captain America mask on and steps up on the stairs that lead to the front of the stage. 

“It was nice meeting you too Rockie, it’s nice to finally have a friend who doesn’t try to flirt with me or expect or want anything from me.” He tells you with a wink and runs on stage as the lights dim, and as you watch Steve leave, your smile falls off and your eyes grow bigger. You can’t afford friendships, especially with people you seem to genuinely enjoy, who is the first genuinely nice person you’ve met while doing this. You can’t. You can’t form something and watch it slip away from you, you can’t watch something grow and get older and blossom while you simply don’t. 

No you can’t. You take a deep breath and plaster the smile back on, not acting like you’re totally screwed.


End file.
